The owner of a Bradford hotel is on the verge of selling up and leaving the city after two fireworks attacks on the hotel's busy bar area put patrons at risk and started a fire.

The bar of the Westleigh Hotel on Easby Road was full of customers on Bonfire Night when a Roman candle-type firework was thrown in at about 7pm, causing scorch damage to furniture but fortunately not injuring any staff or customers.

Within an hour, hotel owner Peter Foreman was stunned when another firework device was hurled into the building, starting a fire which had to be extinguished. Two windows were smashed by another incident later in the evening.

Mr Foreman said the attacks had left him disillusioned about staying in the city: "I am seriously thinking of selling up after this; these thugs are out of control. One police officer who attended said gangs of up to 30 of them were roaming the streets, some armed with baseball bats. The situation is completely out of control.

"These thugs have no thought for those inside the bar, there were quite a few people in when the attacks happened. I had to close up at 9pm because it was just out of hand. These were big 18-inch fireworks and could have done even more serious damage. As it is, the carpets are scorched and there is damage to furnishings."

A police spokesman said the incident was being treated as criminal damage.